ANN ARBOR, Mich. – U-M’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh announced Tuesday (March 15) the hiring of Milan (Mimi) Bolden-Morris as the program’s graduate assistant coach working with the quarterbacks. Bolden-Morris is the first female graduate assistant coach at a Big Ten school and the first at a Power 5 FBS program.
An outstanding student, she is considering the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy or the School of Social Work, both rated among the top five programs in the country, for her graduate studies at Michigan. Bolden-Morris just completed her playing career in basketball at Georgetown University and will begin her appointment at Michigan on June 1 after earning her master’s degree in sports management this May.
“I have always believed in providing opportunities for individuals who are passionate about football and Mimi is someone who has shown that drive to become a football coach,” said Harbaugh. “Mimi reached out and expressed an interest in our graduate assistant positions when we had multiple openings this spring. We had some great conversations and I came away extremely impressed with her desire and ideas for coaching, and for making us better as a team. Mimi is a very bright, intelligent and competitive young woman who will be a great addition to our program and offensive coaching staff. We look forward to having Mimi transition into this role working with our quarterbacks. We can’t wait to see the new perspective she brings to our team.”
“The opportunity to be the first female GA in the Power 5, especially the Big Ten, is an absolute honor,” said Bolden-Morris. “It speaks volumes to the efforts that Coach Harbaugh has made to create an environment of inclusion. These opportunities have been an anomaly for a black woman until recently. Growing up watching my dad coach my brother, it has always been my dream to be a part of a football team in some form, so this opportunity is allowing me to live out a dream of mine, especially working with quarterbacks. Coming from the basketball world, guards and quarterbacks are one in the same. Both have the ability to make decisions under duress, read defenses, take care of the ball, and execute with precision and accuracy.
“I know that Coach Harbaugh and his staff will prepare me with the tools and knowledge to be the best because that’s who they are and all they know,” added Bolden-Morris. “They bleed blue! Having the ability to work in such a prestigious and winning environment will mold me to create other opportunities for women who are seeking a similar career path. I may be the first woman to do this, at this level, but I know my purpose is greater and that I can use this blessing to assist others.”
Bolden-Morris was a guard for the Georgetown University women’s basketball team for the past year-and-a-half. She transferred into Georgetown as a graduate student midway through the 2020-21 season and played with the Hoyas during the 2021-22 season.
Bolden-Morris started all 29 games for the Hoyas during the 2021-22 season, averaging a team-high 35 minutes per contest. She led the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game, with 83 of her 123 baskets coming from beyond the three-point line; led the Big East with her 83 3-pointers. After joining the team in January 2021, she appeared in 15 games and started 13 of those contests. Bolden-Morris was the Hoyas’ second-leading scorer with 9.5 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per contest, and knocked down a team-best 24 3-pointers.
Prior to joining the Georgetown program, Bolden-Morris averaged 7.5 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per contest in three seasons at Boston College. She appeared in 85 games with 31 starts, and scored in double figures in 29 of those contests. Bolden-Morris scored a then career-best 20 points at Georgia Tech as a freshman and tallied a 19-point game at Virginia Commonwealth as a junior. She earned All-ACC Freshman honors after setting a Boston College freshman record for season threes with 80.
A native of Belle Glade, Florida, and Cardinal Newman High School, Bolden-Morris is the sister of Michigan senior defensive end Mike Morris.
